Advice to elders looking for elder candidates within their congregation.

How lay Christians can encourage their pastor and elders.

The need for elders to continue to practice the spiritual disciplines.

Very helpful advice for Bible college and Seminary students looking to get into ministry.

How local churches can find qualified godly men.

About the Book:

One way or another, leaders emerge in the life of every church. Most pastors want to be intentional about developing and shaping those leaders themselves, but they rarely have the time and resources to do it. So leaders spring up, often without deep roots in the gospel, and they struggle to guide the church.

The biblical task of leading a church requires more than good management principles or sound theology. If the gospel truly is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and is constantly “bearing fruit and growing” within us (Colossians 1:6), then each elder must be strong in the gospel. That’s the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.

Gospel Eldership combines theological training with spiritual formation in order to shape future (and current) leaders at the heart level. It walks future leaders through the biblical concept of servant leadership and the primacy of character before looking at the specific duties of elders. Gospel Eldership helps develop men who know their own heart idolatry and how the good news of the gospel applies to it and who have a sense of “gospel fluency” so that they can swiftly, effectively, and clearly apply the gospel to others. Gospel Eldership is designed to intentionally raise up the type of men who can and should lead God’s church.

Gospel Eldership treats the role of elder carefully and biblically and is written from a theologically complementarian viewpoint. With practical exercises to help put concepts to work in real-life situations, Gospel Eldership can be used in one-on-one discipleship or in a small group setting and is appropriate for use in any church—from the smallest church plant to the largest church-planting church.

About the Author:

Robert H. Thune, MA is the founding pastor of Coram Deo Church in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also the coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life, The Gospel-Centered Community, and The Gospel-Centered Life for Teens all published by New Growth Press. Bob holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife Leigh are the parents of four energetic children. In addition to his work at Coram Deo, he coaches and trains church planters through the Acts 29 Network.

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About The Author

Dave Jenkins is happily married to Sarah Jenkins. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in sunny Southern California. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, and is the Host for the Equipping You in Grace Podcast. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his MAR and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.